That night, Rong Qian slept with rare contentment — perhaps because of the alcohol. She didn’t wake until morning.

Winter had come, and she found herself reluctant to leave the warmth of the blankets, especially with the mattress being so soft and comfortable beneath her.

Wait. Wasn’t she supposed to be sleeping on the sofa?

Rong Qian’s eyes flew open. She sat bolt upright — this was, apparently, Shen Yi’s bed.

She slipped on her shoes and walked out of the room, just as Shen Yi came out of the kitchen carrying breakfast. He saw her and said good morning.

“How did I end up in your bed?”

Rong Qian gave her cheeks a quick pat to wake herself up. As soon as she stepped through the bedroom doorway, she saw Lin Feng and the others sprawled across the floor in every direction.

Her sofa, meanwhile, had been claimed by Chen Shiyi.

“What do you think?” Shen Yi glanced at her.

Rong Qian raised her eyebrows. Surely she hadn’t crawled into his bed and kicked him out herself?

“You didn’t kick me out.” As if he had read her thoughts, Shen Yi answered her.

Rong Qian’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t been kicked out — did that mean they had slept in it together?!

“I slept on the floor. I let you have the bed.” Shen Yi cut off her imagination before it could spiral any further.

Rong Qian exhaled in relief. Good. Though when she glanced around the room, she didn’t see anywhere that suggested he had slept.

She looked back at the desk — sure enough, several books were spread open and a half-finished notebook sat beside them. This boy hadn’t slept at all last night.

Rong Qian then noticed the time: already eight o’clock.

Not long after, Chen Shiyi, Lu Xuan, and the others woke up one by one. They ate the breakfast Shen Yi had prepared without the slightest restraint, and then, thoroughly satisfied, went on their way.

In the aftermath of the Chen Shiyi incident, the bonds between them all had clearly deepened. Chen Shiyi and Lu Xuan could often be seen coming over hand in hand, bags of groceries in tow, to cook.

The stated reason was that they wanted Chinese food and were borrowing his kitchen — with meals included as compensation.

As for when those two had gotten together — that, fittingly, was thanks to Rong Qian. They had always been drawn to each other; the moment Lu Xuan found Chen Shiyi and untied her, the last barrier between them fell away.

Lu Xuan often joked that Rong Qian was their matchmaker.

Lin Feng and Jessie dropped by regularly to eat as well, and so Shen Yi’s usually quiet home gradually filled with warmth and noise — and inexplicably accumulated a growing collection of everyone else’s belongings.

The poor man, meticulous and orderly as he was, would finish tidying everything only to find it in disarray again a short while later.

Rong Qian found this rather pleasing. A lived-in feeling — good.

During the holiday, everyone went out to find part-time work. Shen Yi was no exception — though his work was acting. A director he knew had given him a role, and filming wrapped up in about seven or eight days. Rong Qian tagged along to the set, where she witnessed, firsthand, the rare and precious sight of the future Movie Emperor in his raw, unpolished early days.

And every day, she was struck anew — That actor filmed with Shen Yi?! And that renowned director knows him this well?!

When filming for the role concluded, the director gave Shen Yi a few movie tickets, saying his film was releasing soon and inviting them to a screening.

So, on a weekend when everyone happened to be free, they went out together.

There were only four tickets. Two went to Chen Shiyi and Lu Xuan. As for Lin Feng and Jessie — they were on their own.

The group headed to an amusement park and spent the entire morning playing. The park provided free cameras for guests to take their own photos, though film rolls were sold separately and weren’t cheap.

“Come on, everyone together! Look over here — throw up a peace sign!”

Rong Qian took the camera and volunteered to photograph the group. She noticed that Shen Yi was the only one not cooperating — hands in his pockets, giving her only a handsome view of his back.

But in the moment she pressed the shutter, Shen Yi had quietly raised his hand in a small peace sign.

When the developed photos came back, Rong Qian went still.

So that was the photo in Shen Yi’s frame — the group photo she had taken.

In the afternoon, they wandered the streets together. Rong Qian, the time traveler, found everything novel and fascinating. Looking at the marketplace and the storefronts, she could read so much about the nation’s economic character during this era — something she genuinely found interesting.

On the street, an arcade machine sat on the curb. Rong Qian fed it coins and challenged Lin Feng and the others to several rounds. Meanwhile, Lu Xuan wandered off alone into a gift shop.

Chen Shiyi had gone to browse a women’s clothing boutique, and when she stepped out having tried on some things, she found Shen Yi standing there. Her first thought was that Rong Qian must be nearby — because wherever Rong Qian was, Shen Yi was never far.

But he shook his head. And then, without a word, he stood there looking at the women’s clothing displayed in the shop.

Chen Shiyi guessed what was happening. She smiled and asked, “Are you thinking of buying clothes for Qianqian?”

“Do you have any recommendations?” Shen Yi finally spoke.

Chen Shiyi suppressed a smile. As she had suspected. Though picking out clothes that Rong Qian would actually love from all these racks — that was a real challenge for him.

“I think this outfit would suit her.” Chen Shiyi lifted the piece she had her eye on. “This black British-style coat, paired with this white knit sweater — that would look beautiful on her.”

She glanced around once more and picked out a red scarf and a pair of ankle boots.

She smiled at Shen Yi. “You’re getting these for her because Christmas is coming up, aren’t you? A Christmas present for Qianqian?”

“Yeah.” A brief, quiet response. Then he added, “Don’t tell her.”

“Don’t worry — I know you want it to be a surprise. I won’t say a word.” Chen Shiyi smiled and made her promise.

After the afternoon of wandering the shops, everyone went to the movies in the evening. By the time the film ended and they made it home, it was already nine o’clock at night. Rong Qian had played hard all day and was exhausted.

Shen Yi still had energy to spare. When they got back, he set about tidying the pile of things Rong Qian had impulsively bought up and down the street the entire afternoon.

Rong Qian watched him open a gift box, take out a picture frame, and settle the group photo inside. She asked, “Did Lu Xuan give you that?”

She knew he had gone into a gift shop and come out with several bags. He had given her a present too — a cute little doll.

“Yeah. Christmas present.” Shen Yi set the finished frame on a shelf.

At that, Rong Qian stretched her hand out toward him, eyes bright with expectation. “What about my Christmas present from you?”

“Isn’t that doll right there in your hands?” Shen Yi glanced over — and noted that the doll had already been sat on and thoroughly squashed. Well. Poor thing.

Rong Qian corrected him. “I mean the Christmas present you give me.”

“We’ll see.” His ears had gone red. He gathered up his things and retreated to his room.

Rong Qian grinned to herself. Still such a sweetly innocent boy.

But happy times are always fleeting…

The moment she received the Christmas present Shen Yi had prepared, Rong Qian’s smile froze in place. The corners of her mouth slowly pressed flat.

It seemed the day of her return was drawing near.

Shen Yi saw her face, utterly without a smile, and assumed she didn’t like it. “If you don’t like it, I can exchange it for something else.”

“I love it — look how beautiful these clothes are! I really love them.” Rong Qian smiled, and her smile was completely genuine. To prove it, she hugged the clothes close, as if protecting them.

Shen Yi relaxed at that. As long as she liked them, that was all that mattered.

Simple, unsuspecting Shen Yi did not yet understand what giving her this outfit meant.

Had he known that the day Rong Qian put on those clothes would be the day she left, he would have burned them before he ever gave them to her.

Because he simply could not bear — could not even begin to accept — letting her go.